Kathy Jeanne Whitley

Kathy Jeanne Whitley, 74, peacefully passed away December 19, 2025. She was a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend and will be missed more than any words can adequately express.

Kathy was born in Gary, Indiana on April 21, 1951, and was the only daughter of Patricia (Gerlach) Heck and Kenneth L. Heck, Sr. Her family moved to Florida in 1955 and settled in Fort Walton Beach. Kathy attended Saint Mary’s Catholic School and graduated from Choctawhatchee High School.

During her high school years, she met the love of her life, Duane. Kathy and Duane married and later welcomed their only child, Tracey. Kathy’s greatest joys were being a wife, a mother and a grandmother. She could have taught a MasterClass in homemaking. While her talents were many, one thing she did not master was gardening. She actually once killed a cactus by giving it a little too much love. However, her loving and nurturing spirit is what also made her an excellent caretaker to several family members. She deeply loved and dedicated her life to her family, and we were all so blessed to be loved by her.

In the 1980s, Kathy ventured into a small business and was a co-owner of the Corner Closet in Crestview. There she enjoyed helping customers and working with her sister-in-law and best friend, Janene. Kathy was also known for her baking, especially cookies. She baked and shared countless cookies with Duane’s coworkers and Tracey’s friends, as well as many others. Her thoughtfulness and genuine kindness brightened the days of many people. Kathy later happily began baking cookies for her grandson, Joey, who had a favorite. Nana was always sure to have plenty of triple chocolate cookies ready when Joey came to visit. Kathy lived an intentional and meaningful life of service. Making others happy made her happy. Even while hospitalized, Kathy was still thinking of others offering cookies and snacks to visitors and hospital staff. Her family will greatly miss the many memorable traditions she established, especially at this time of year.

Kathy is survived by her husband, Duane, with whom she would have celebrated 56 years of marriage on December 26th; her daughter, Tracey (Jonas) Chapman; grandson, Joey Chapman; brother, Kenneth (Susanne) Heck, Jr., as well as numerous brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death and is now surrounded by many loved ones, especially her parents; her younger brother, Charles Heck; and her granddaughter, Aiden Chapman.

The family would like to thank the staff at North Okaloosa Medical Center for their care and compassion during Kathy’s recent hospitalization.

We are honoring Kathy’s request and will not be holding any services. In lieu of flowers, please hug a loved one, make a donation to the charity of your choice or perhaps enjoy your favorite cookie and celebrate this very special lady.

To quote Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. And boy, did Kathy always make you feel loved.